#FAMILYVALUES

Why Same Gender Parents Are Not the Problem

There are 1.21 million abortions every year in America. Less than 1% of abortions are due to rape or incest. 1,210,000 women, out of approximately 181.54 million women residing in America choose to abort their children every year. That’s only half the equation. There are fathers to those children who also support, demand, or stand by and watch as that decision is made. So really, over two million people a year choose abortion in the United States. (Google) Besides abortion, what do these people have in common? They are engaged in heterosexual relationships. I went to school in a small town, but even still, I can think of five people off the top of my head who had two or more abortions. Many of those same people don’t use other forms of birth control.

Worldwide, there are up to 210 million orphans. Many of them age out of the system every year without ever finding a family. As many as 60% of the girls in this group will turn to prostitution and a staggering 70% of the boys will enter into a life of crime.(orphanhopeintl.org/facts-statistics) Combined, that’s over 211 million children slipping through societal cracks and being forgotten by straight parents every year. So much pain, suffering, and death because straight couples can’t be bothered to be responsible when having sex.

Why, then, should anyone have a hurtful word to say about same gender parents? We cannot “accidentally” conceive a child. Any children are not only planned, but painstakingly saved for. When researching invitro fertilization online, I found the cheapest prices at $10,000, all the way up to and even exceeding $15,000 in some cases. Keep in mind, these costs are per ovulation cycle, and do not necessarily guarantee a pregnancy the first time. You can always try yourself at home, but those methods are generally considered less effective and take much longer. Adoption, of course, is even more expensive. In many cases, it’s also more difficult for a same gender couple to be approved for adoption. Bottom Line: gays and lesbians can enjoy all of the unprotected sex they’d like without unplanned babies, but once they want them, it’s a lengthy, expensive process.

What basis is there for same gender couples being unhealthy for children? Figures for 2012 show 24% of American children lived in single mother homes, while 4% live in single father homes. How can 28% of the population be raised in single parent homes with less backlash than children growing up with same gender parents? These children are growing up with TWO parents who desperately want them and have taken drastic measures to start their families. What is abusive or neglectful there? (childstats.gov)

Many argue that children need both parents to grow up and live a stable life, but many children with straight parents are still growing up without one parent. Who in their lives has only one role model of each gender? There are aunts, uncles, family friends, and grandparents to rely on for the opposite gender example. Just because a child’s parents are both the same gender, doesn’t mean the child will be raised with out any influence from a gender. And in some cases, the role models in these children’s lives may play a more active role than either parent from a mixed gender family.

The Huffington Post recently did an article on a mother’s response to a birthday party thrown by 2 dads. (huffingtonpost.com/us/entry/4776658) The mother won’t allow her son to attend a party because she doesn’t agree with the dads’ lifestyle. Some people may agree with this mom, but let’s really analyze that idea. Two dads are throwing a party for their daughter’s birthday. That’s a pretty standard parental duty. As a parent, this mother is taking that social experience away from her own son, while also keeping that little girl from celebrating with ALL of her friends on her birthday. Which parent is really the one causing negativity in the lives of these children?

Hatred, noun. Intense dislike or ill will.

Why is the LGBTQ community consistently treated like a perpetrator against the world when it is the anti-gay activists which are spreading hate? “I’m sorry Sophia has to grow up this way,” the mother states in her note declining the party invitation. I think we can all agree that the only person hurting Sophia in this instance is this mother. It’s an indication of the country as a whole. None of these forgotten children were abandoned or terminated by LGBTQ couples. Straight parents are the people creating and furthering these problems, while at the same time shifting blame. It’s kind of human nature to point the finger at someone else to distract from our own evils. But the cold hard truth is that straight parents are causing a lot more problems on a much larger scale than same sex parents could ever compare to. There will never be an unwanted child in a same gender relationship.

Instead of assigning blame, we should all be coming together for these children in need. They deserve stable, loving families, even when that family may have same gender parents. While activists are focusing on halting gay adoption, 38,493 children are aging out of the system per day. (orphanhopeintl.org) Let’s put aside these differences and find solutions to these problems.